Excavating tool



Aug. 20, 1935., A. P. MILLER `EXCAVATINGr TOOL Filed July 18, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet l MM5/Ma,

2 Sheets-Sheet- 2 ug. 20, 1935. A. P. MILLERv EXCAVATING TOOL Fil-ed July 18, 1932 "l conical Walls of the pedestal. Variations in this vPatented. Aug. zo, 1935 ExCAyAr1NGrooL A ,Anghonyraulmiller, rleasantviueQnJ.

Aj'Applieatien July* 13,1932, serial No. 623,031

' eclims. (class- 776) y' straight'dovvnward reciprocationof the'toolbyf- "I My ,presenty invention, consideredjfrom one aspect, is' `concerned with the provision of atool for laterally undercutting' the earth' Walls` lof relatively deep excavations of restricted cross section, and isfespecallyintended and peculiarly j' adapted'lfor forming an enlargement at the lower end of a straight shaft, such,'for instance, as the pilingare to be installed.

enlargement'whichfis required when pedestal hile the tool iscapablfvof usefinu'forrn-ing.-various undercut' excavations adapted to scrive. as;v

moldsfor spread footings, its operation vmay be best understood vby considerinfgjitr asapplied'to the :formation of pedestal' piling, it being understood Vthat this term'throughout the speciication is in-l tended to cover all analogous structures.y

Heretofore tne'langiecf undermining 'of 'many shafts" have' of l necessity varied in direct :proportion to the depth and diameter of the shaft to be undercut. I reier especially to the use of au;.

" tomatic or semiautomatic excavating machinery which either permitsV no Variation in the angle of undercut ,ori necessitates varying `the angle of undercut Whenever the depth' of theshaftitself varies. e Precast piling of the pedestaltypejis not practicable due to, the difficulty of sinking it. j

. For reasons set.:v forth rabove ithas heretoiore been extremely difcult for anv architect "or en-, $1116.61' to bey sure that pedestal of' a pilingcast in situwill be of thelengthjand depth and conf tourlwhich his specifications' prescribe.

4 Anobj ect O f thepresent linvention. rtlwiereiore is toprovide acutting to'ollewhich Will permit Wide variation in piling depthfand" diameter, in `pedestaldepth'and 'diametenand in the angles of the latter angleare particularlyv1 important since the angle shouldbe Ydesigned with due respect to the type'of soil'injwhich the piling sto be installed.

and Vshould Abear a deiinite relationv to the angle at Which the load from*` alsupermposed building isptransmitt'ed by thes'preadfooting through the 1 The invention'furthercontemplates the use of Va Asimply constructed, durablefrugged, portable toolfvt'hich mayberadjusted'vo-rfset'sothatits op-` erationeyen by an unskilledvvorkman automatchopping orlspading head, or niaybef equipped with 'af series of "interchangeable Aheads setat 'different angles. By V the simpleexpedient of varying the angle of this cutting head v/ ithf're-g spect! to the; handle Y upon which itjis i. carried,

Fig. lisa sorriewhatidia'gr'animatievievvfillus-r trating sucessive steps? inf the yformation jof'fa pedestal` piling and'illustratng the use offthe r` f but of greater effective lengththan theftoollshovvn ol may Veither" 'have V an adjustable Workmanwill cause'v undercutting at the desiredanglef `By adjusting-fthe 'tool to'ldetejrminethe effective `length of.J the oiiset cuttingf'blade," pedestaljrnolds of vdifferent diameters butwith j 5 their conical sides sloping at the s ameangl'e may' This application is a continuation in part. of my copending application 4Serialv No.v 08205 'filedf November'l.' 1929; if? i. i

The invention nay'b'ev more fully understood from' the lfollowing description-taken' in connecn tion Withihe accompanying drawingsywherein toolof the presentinvention; A liigffi is-afbreken side elevation viev of a'tool' eibdyingtheiriventn; l

Y"Fig.3 isla longitudinal sectional view'on line v 343 fAFkg. 2;" L y f Fig'. 4 is a'persp'ectiverview ofaj'tool-having'a.; removable'ratherthan an adjustable head; f

*Figs v5 "and -6f are perspective View lfof heads havingfcutting portionsi'fset at-diierent angles g5 and Which-may besubstitutedfcrjtheheadillus? trated Fig.r4; and

' Fig. vgisja view of a head navingiheame angie p v A: 3o '"Figs '2 'andS- illustra-te aft'ool including anhelon `-1- gated hollow handle I ll'fwhich may be of ordinary pipe stock and formed by"couplingtogetheryany suitable-number" of pipe sections. [Adjacent-itsv lower end thehollow handlel l is encircled by'a '35 collarl'lzfxedly securedto the handle as bya set l screw i3. A sector plate I4 is pivoted to'swing in aplane Aparallel to the' plane of the longitudinal axis of the handle,v this sector pl'ate-beingfpivoted upon a headed studmemben'l 5 'havinga reduced iQ threadedend vI'vscrevvingv intothecollar andank unthreaded central portion Il passingthroughv an aperture in.` the apex of thegi'sector :plate and affording' thepiytal bearingj'forlthe. plate. -A generally triangular shapedsharp edged Aspade member I8 is preferably 'integralzwith the sector platefthe spade lying in aplane at 1iglit. angl e s to the. plane oftheplate and having 4` itsreduced end integrally J'Omsdiio; aiorne'r Of; the maief Wviththe/sectorplatelocked in any positionci 5 9. `l

imparting a vertical reciprocating motion to the handle.

The means for varying theangle of adjustment of the spade with respect to the handle includes a setting shaft laextending through the hollow l notches 2.5 on the flange of the cap 2| and nor-'- mally tending to lock the setting shaft (with re.

spect to which the cap is fixed) against'rotation. At the lower projecting `end of the setting shaft a. beveled gear 25-a is aflixed as by set screw 26,-`

this beveled gear meshing with the beveled teeth 21 of an arcuate rack 28 integral with the sector plate adj acent the lowercurved edge of thelatter. Integral with the. knobiil. is a cross-bar 29 ,con-

stitutingav` handle for manually.,operating the chopping topi. 1

n -wiii be evidetihat by withdrawing the spring-22 rand rotating the'handle` 29, `thels'ettlng shaft will actfthrough the medium of thegear 25e-A and rack-28 torchange lthe angle of the spade with respect to the longitudinal axis of the handle l0. ,'Irhus the spade may beset'at any desired angle with respectto the handle or shank I0 in a'ccordancewith the vangle ofcut desired.

native type of tool of simplifiedconstruction andv designed toaaccomplishsimilar results. Here the handle member is in thevnature of a number of pipe lengths 30 coupled togethenh Additional pipe lengths maybe added in` accordance with the depth of the hole in Whichthe tool is `to work.

. Screwing onto the-lower end of the llowermost pipe section is the shank portion 3|l of auspadetool. Thisishank extendsangularlyto the handle 30 and is integralwithlthe sharp yedged spade member -32 also disposed at lan angle.` to the `plane of the handle. Shank 3l may either have the angular formation illustrated o r may'be of gooseneck design if desired, the object to be accomplished being to offset the spade 32 at such an-angle'to the handle 3Q that the spade willV cut laterally e into the walls of an excavation as a vertical chopnumberof detachable heads.

ping or'l reciprocating motion is imparted Itothe handle.` f: l Y n Y..

In`this case no adjustment ofthe removable spadev head is possible, and insteadI providea Some of these Y A`heads, .sucha's those of Figs. 5Vand v6, are designed toset the spade at different cutting angles` to the handle; others,A such yas that of Fig. 7,.are designed tovaiord yspades ofA varyingilengths setV at similar angles to the handle (compare Figs. 5 and 7). With a complete setfof such heads it is possible not only to vary the angle of under-cutting but to Vary the maximum Idiameter of the undercut area in accordance with the particular mold `shape required.` Y'

Fig. 1 is a diagramnfia'tic view showing atypicall development of a piling mold in the formation of which mytool isV used. `This view isty'pical of the useV ofthe methodin beach sand WhereA the undercut should not be at an angle ofA more than 30 degrees tothe vertical Yif caving of the sand is'toibe prevented. A

i 'rnerview niustrates a ser of weii'pomts 4o which f have beenfsunk atther'egion where'k the pilings are to be installed, these well points servingin has been performed is illustrated at C. The can is of a length corresponding to exactly. the length of pillar required and prevents'scaling or shaling of the sand Walls vof the mold during subsequent operation of the spading tool and removal of the sandfrorn the region below the shell.

The next step illustrated at D is to continue the excavation with. a posthole digger to a depth below the shell equal to the proposed vtotalheight of thepedestal. Thereupon vthe spadeA tool is brought into play, the headv havingV beenwrst set at the desired 30 degree angle;` vand the ped estal portion Vof the VVmold isv choppeduoutj'The condition illustrated-.at D represents thefcondif tion where the verticalbore has first been `ex tended to dotted lines `f-f'-f and-the chopping operationis still in progress, dotted lines g--g-g Yshowing thev'outline of the undercut wlie'nf'comfA pleted. In -1iigs..4, 5, and 6Ihave .illustrated an'alterg It willfbe seen that the' angle of the cut of Athis `tool is independent of: the. length lof ,the 4bore and that the handle'of the tool needjnot be tilted,'it merelyfbeing necessary :that the di-f afmeter of the bore be suflicient to'acconimodate the spade.

completed mold after the choppingfoperation has Ybeen completed and the moldA bottom tamped by `pouringin a little water, which quickly'drains downto the level at b-b. Asthe sand'is chopped out` by the spade. it falls toward theA center, of

r.the ,excavation where it may be convenie'ntly' regi moved with a postholevdigger.

. As to thefadvant'age of varyingthe angle f cut it maybe notedr that' different types of lsoil have diierent caving angles, and a'tool which Will-maintain the proper` angle in beach. sand may `he entirely unsuitable` for Working infcla'y Where a greater angleofiindrcutting is possible without danger of collapseof the mold walls.

The advantage of havingremovable heads-of suitable anglesfbut of different lengths .will `be obviousfwhen itis borne inmind Ythat it may in some instances bedesirable to vary the`depth of the pedestal chamber, i. e., to increase maximum diameter Without-varying the, angle at which the undercutting is done. K' ,Y The tool `also permits the formation ofpedestal molds in which cylindrical` pedestals ofv greater diameter than` the .pillar `portions arefconnected to the pillar portions *by conical necks.; i

ist

.y In that section ofV vdiagrammatical Fig.

instance, maybe performed at a greater angle.

I havel illustrated at k indotted lines the manner the same angle by` the'f'use of a longer spade,

Y in which a ldeeper pedestalimold may be cut at f;

and I have musi-,rated in dotted unes at m the appearance of acylin'drical pedestal of greater diameter than the shaft and connected to they shaft by'a sloping shoulder portion.

These are merely typical ofsome of the numerous pedestal designs made possible by the use of my improved spade tool, andare intended to illustrate the fact that by` usingthis toola foundation contractor may form pedestalvmolds in accordance with any practical design desired by the architect. The angle of cut may be very definitely predetermined by setting of the tool. Proper depth maybe assured by simply placing a mark on the tool handle at a point which will indicate the maximum depth of cut to be made.

Thus unskilled workmen can produce; an earth mold into which concrete is to be poured, exactly Vin accordance with architects specifications.

Furthermore, the use of my improved method and tool permits the accurate formation of the type of mold best suited to the soil conditions and loading conditions of each particular job.

It will thus be seen that there is herein described a device in which the several features of this invention are embodied, and which in its action attain the various objects of the invention and is well suited to meet the requirev d ments of practical use. l As many changes could be made in the above` device, and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made with- `out departing from the Scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in va limiting sense.

I claimz` 1. As a new article of manufacture an excavating tool of the'class described, including a long hollow shank, a handle at the upper end of the shank, a chopping` blade angularly offset with respect to the lower end of the shank,rmeans for adjusting the angle of the blade with respect' to the shank, comprising a gear at the lower end of the shank operatively connected to the handle and a sector plate xed to the blade and having a rack portion meshing withV said gear.Y

2. As a new article of manufacture, an excavating tool of the class described, including a long hollow shank, a handle at the upper end of the shank, a chopping blade angularly offset with respect ,to the lower end ofthe shank, lmeans for adjustingthe angle of the blade with respect tok the shank, comprising a gear at the lower end of the shank operatively connected to the handle and a sector plate fixed to the blade and having Y a rack portion'meshing with said gear, and a shaft extending through the hollow shank connecting the gear and the handle.

3. As a new article of manufacture an excavating tool of the class described, including aY long hollow shank, a handle at the upper. end of the shank, a chopping blade angularly offset with respect to the lower end of the shank, means for adjusting the angle of the blade with respect to theshank, comprising a gear at the lower end ofv the shank operatively connected to the handle w and a sector plate fixed to the blade and having a rack portion meshing With' said gear, a shaft ex- -tending through the hollow shank connecting the and a sector plate xed to the blade and havingV a rack portion meshing with said gear, a; shaft extending through the hollow shank connecting the gear and the handle, means normally yblock-` ing rotation of the handle and the shaft to which it is connected, said means comprising a toothed cap rotatably mounted on the upper end of the shank and a spring linger engaging with said teeth to block rotation.

5. A chopping tool for undercutting the lwalls of small diameter vertical shafts formed inthe earth and adapted to be `manually reciprocated by a workman standing at the mouthY ofV the shaft, said tool including an elongated shank member,A a handle at the upper end of the shank and a flat, sharp-edgedhopping head of greatest width at its sharpened edge, means for rigidly connecting the shank and handle together for movement as a unit with vthe head inclined outwardly and downwardly at a definite angle to the'longitudinal axis of the shank with the cutting, edge of the head most remote from the axis of the shank and the entire head bodily offset from such axis the handle being of substantially uniformcross section throughout itslength, and

the sharp edge of the chopping head being of a` e length exceeding by several times the maximum cross sectional dimension of the handle.

6; A chopping tool for undercutting the walls of small diameter vertical shafts formed inA the earth and adapted to be manually reciprocated by a workman standing at the mouth of the shaft, said tool including an elongated shankv f member, a handle at the upper` end of theshank and a fiat, sharp-edged, chopping head of great#A Y est width at its sharpened edge, means for rigidly connecting the shank and handle together for movement as a unit with.' thehead disposed at a definite angle to the longitudinal axis of the' Y shank and bodily offset from such axis andmeans Vfor adjusting the angle of the head with respect to the shank andlocking said headin` a selected position of adjustment during operation of the tool. ANTHONY PAUL MILLER. 

